The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-30
HAWAHS FALLEN PREMIER.
Gibson's Adventurous Youth-From
Coachman to Prime Minister.

y
He appears to have had on adventurous
youth There are men living here who
hunted the deer with him On the banks Of
the Seneca river and over the hills of that
wild and beautiful country which lie HIM
self calls The Switzerland Of America.
These mon remember him well, and it is
from them that this sketch Of his life in
South Carolina has been gathered
OF Gibson's birth and boyhood but little
is known, although it is believed that, hav-
ing run away from home at an early age,
he took to the sea, and that his experience
there was wild and varied. He makes an
individual allusion to this carly life in n
book entitled THE Prison of Weltevrcdon.
1t is said that he had been taken prisoner in
Greece aud liberated by the keepers daugh-
ter.
PROF1TING by a HERALD ADVERTISEMENT.
Gibson came to South Carolina a mere
youth, before 1910, as coachman of a very
wealthy and aristOcratic planter Of the up
country, Mr.. William Van Wyck Mr.. Van
Wyck had Just been married and had taken
his wife to New York city Then being in
need of a driver to take his horses and car
riage back home he advertised for one. Glib
son had just returned from his first adventur-
GUS voyage with empty pockets, a head full
of romance and desire to see the South
mountain Businesses. SO lie applied for
the place offered by Mr.. Van Wyck and
was accepted.
A LINGUIST AS A COACHMAN.
On the road Mr. Van Wycl and his wife,
conversing in French and German, were
much surprised when their new coachman
warned them TO use some other language
if they did not wish him tOunderstand them.
They were more surprised when they found
that he was a really intelligent boy Mr.
Van Wyck took a great interest III him,
lent him books and discussed matters with
him frequently He aftcrward made him a
tutor in his family.
When the party reached their Southern
home the rare sight of n white servant at
tractcd a great deal of attention toward
Gibson, and as he was gentleman and a
well informed one, whose lite was a real
romance, the interest of the community was
well awakened in him. In his book he
speaks very highly of the people among
whom he was thrown.
READING AND ROWING.
He spent much of his time in reading He
spent even more time in rowing over the
hills and by the clear streams of the beauti-
full Piedmont region in both South Carolina
and Georgia.
"The best of my early years" saws he,
on both of its banks, on the Carolina and on
the Georgia side. i have travelled these
waters from tho Tybec mouth TO the utmost
limit where q steamers keel can run; then,
with shoulder to a boat pole, have urged
with slow and straining step, the fiat bot
tom cotton barge up to the shoals of the Sen
eca. | have canOed on Keowee and Twelve
Mile and have waded or crossed on some
simple log every branch and spring stream
I-1nninrr lnySrl, frra,, tho Sol,t1o hills no
the one side and the Curraheo on the other .
Much of this rowing was in search of silver
that the Indians used to make bullets of and
he succeeded in finding a deposit which he
afterward worked but with no great success.
woOING IN THE BACKwooDs.
Again, he speaks of his early wooine
among these verdant hills:
when ! was yet boy / met, in my wan
behring's III the backwoods of South Carolina
with a fair, gentle girl of my own age who
had never been more than q half days ride
from the plantation of her father We of.
ten sauntered together in the still woods OF
Millwee on summer days. We would wade
barefooted the shallow, pcbbly streams
cross the Deep rapid creeks with mutual
help of hand to our lettering steps. as We
walked the unsteady swinging trunk that
bridCed them over. We rambled hand in
hand to gather wild grapes and the musca.
dine: then we would rest beneath the dense
shade and at the foot of some great tree
and tall, of our boyish and girlish fancies
and then without any thought as to mutua
tastes, character or fitness, or anything thai
had to do with the future, but listening only
to the music OF our young voices, to the
| alluring notes Of surrounding nature, and
| having only our young faces TO admire, We
| loved, and long ere | was man we were
| married
EARLY WEDLOCK.
Gibson's wife was a Miss Lewis Whose
home was not more than eight or nine mile.
| from this town. She did not live very long
| however, but bore him three children, two
| sons and a daughter.
During his wife's lifetime be taught
school, both in the country and in Pondlc
| ton village. His former employer assisted
him greatly in getting up these schools bu
Gibson did not like to teach, and he soor
gave it up and commenced 10 run boat OF
the Savannah river. His wife died about
| 1S49, and now lies buried in the old Lewis
burying ground.
SEEKING NEW ADVENTURES.
| Soon after his wife's death Gibson. leav
ing his children with his wife's relations
| went down TO South America, and there en-
| tered into the bubble scheme of founding {
navy for a Central American State Wher
this bubble burst Gibson took the vessel he
| had purchased and sailed the seas, a free
| trader, until he was arrested by the Dutci
| in Sumatra. His book treats of his confiae
mont and escape from the prison of Wei
| tevredcn. He was aided by a woman Thi
| tale is well told and very romantic. Iii!
escape was effected in 1853. and he then re
turned to South Carolina, remained there
| about six months and took his children with
! him To salt Lake City. IL is reported that
| he joined the Mornons and engaged il
| purchasing lands for them. lie was in salt
Lake City during the late civil war.
| Since leaving South Carolina Gibson has
been keeping up a lax correspondence Will,
several parties in this town. lie returned
hero about 1877 and delivered lecture on
sheep raising in the islands which nearly in
duccd all the young men of Anderson TO 20
back with him, but, unfortunately for his
! prospects, he let it ont the next day that
| there was lcproSytthere, though of late years
several Of the young men have lett here and
! joined him.
Gibson has many warm friends here, and
when he returned from Sumatra meeting
was held in Pendleton expressing sympathy
for him, and resolutions were adopted ask.
ing Col. j. L. Orr, then just elected to Con-.
grcSs, TO ecover damages from tho Dutch
Ike has sister who keeps a candy store on
| Broadway now. The rest of his story i,
| common property.
Asking Too Much.
From the Marion (Ga.) Patriot.
Cant paVnp who has inst finished tlg